All About Tires

Arguably, one of the most important parts of a vehicle would be its tires. They are what put the car’s power down to the road, and they are the only part of the vehicle which actually makes contact with the ground. Because of this, keeping your tires in good condition is important for both safety and performance. There are many different tire designs, each of which have a different purpose. Many performance cars use wider low-profile tires in order to increase the levels of traction and handling between the road and the car. Most other cars, on the other hand, use tires which are designed to give a good mix of comfort and handling. No matter what the design, however, there are two things which should always be remembered about your tires. The first is to maintain the proper tire pressure (this includes the spare), and the next is to be sure that the tires have a good amount of tread on them (in other words, make sure that they aren’t worn out). One generally accepted way of doing this is known as the “penny test”. It works by placing an upside down penny upright into the grooves of the tire’s tread. If you can still see the top of Lincoln’s head then it is time to change your tires, but if you can’t then your tires are just fine. Having worn out tires can severely affect your vehicles handling characteristics, and at the same time they can prove to be extremely dangerous. For example, worn out tires can lead to increased stopping distance, less grip/traction with the road, and unnecessary wheel spin especially on gravel and wet surfaces.

The Penny Test